Pelican Brewing Company

What Pelican Brewing Company does

Pelican Brewing Company is an independent, privately-held craft brewery founded in 1996 in Pacific City, Oregon by three co-founders — Mary Jones, Jeff Schons, and Darron Welch. The company operates five brewpub and taproom locations along the Oregon Coast (Pacific City, Siletz Bay, Tillamook, Cannon Beach, and Rockaway Beach), with the Pacific City location being the only beachfront brewpub in the Pacific Northwest. Its production brewery in Tillamook houses canning and bottling lines that supply regional packaged distribution across Oregon, Washington, and Idaho through major grocers (Fred Meyer, Safeway, Albertsons, Winco, New Seasons) and specialty bottle shops.

The company's core product portfolio spans 40+ beer styles, including flagship year-round offerings such as Kiwanda Cream Ale (64+ medals), Beak Breaker Double IPA, Tsunami Export Stout (56 medals), and Sea'N Red Irish-Style Red Ale, alongside seasonal and limited releases like the barrel-aged Mother of all Storms barleywine. The portfolio has been extended beyond traditional craft beer into non-alcoholic hop-infused sparkling water (Sparkle Hops, launched 2017), hop-infused hard seltzers (Hard Hops, launched 2025), and craft sodas (root beer, marionberry, cream soda). Pelican has accumulated over 300 prestigious beer and culinary awards since founding, including World Beer Cup Champion Small Brewery (2014) and multiple Great American Beer Festival Brewpub of the Year titles.

Pelican's business model is a hybrid multi-revenue-stream operation. Primary revenue comes from on-premise food and beverage sales at the five brewpub locations (dine-in, takeout, and online ordering via ToastTab), complemented by packaged retail distribution through grocery and specialty channels. Secondary revenue streams include Mug Club membership subscriptions ($105 first year, $65 renewal), event space rentals (weddings, corporate events) — for which the company has been named Best Brewery/Distillery Venue in Oregon for three consecutive years — and direct-to-consumer e-commerce for merchandise, specialty beer shipping, and Sparkle Hops. Distribution is currently confined to the Pacific Northwest; the company is privately held by its three co-founders with no venture capital or private equity parent entity.

Name

Pelican Brewing Company

Legal name

Pelican Brewing Company

Website

https://pelicanbrewing.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Pelican Brewing Company is an independent Oregon craft brewery founded in 1996 that operates five coastal brewpubs and produces 40+ award-winning beer styles for regional distribution across Oregon, Washington, and Idaho.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Craft Brewing

NAICS

Breweries (312120), Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (7224)

SIC

Malt Beverages (2082), Beverages (2080), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Microbreweries & Craft Breweries (THAFALAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Brewpubs & Taprooms (On-site Beer Service) (THAFALAA), Beer, Brewery & Craft Beverage Tastings (THAJAGAE), Beer Brewing & Brands (CRADAIAA)

Keywords

• Craft beer brewing
• Brewpub restaurants
• Packaged beer distribution
• Event venue hosting
• Hop-infused beverages

Headquarters

HQ city

Pacific City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Brewpub Restaurant Sales: Food and beverage sales at five Oregon coast locations. Online ordering available through ToastTab platform. In-restaurant dining, takeout, and event hosting generate primary revenue.
2. Packaged Beer Distribution: Canned and bottled beer sold through retail distribution to grocers and bottle shops in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. Products sold in 6-packs, 12-packs, 19.2oz cans, and on draft.
3. Mug Club Membership: $105 first year membership offering exclusive mug, discounts, merchandise, birthday dessert, and pre-release access to seasonal beers. $65 annual renewal.
4. E-commerce / Merchandise: Online store for beer shipping (specialty items), merchandise, and Sparkle Hops direct-to-consumer sales.
5. Event Space Rental: Wedding venues, corporate events, and private bookings at all five locations with dedicated event coordinator.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Pelican Brewing Company brews and sells a portfolio of award-winning craft beers, including year-round flagships (Kiwanda Cream Ale, Beak Breaker Double IPA, Tsunami Export Stout), seasonal and barrel-aged specialty beers, plus non-alcoholic Sparkle Hops sparkling water, Hard Hops hard seltzers, and craft sodas. Revenue is generated through five company-owned brewpub/taproom restaurants on the Oregon coast, packaged beer distribution to retail partners in Oregon/Washington/Idaho, online direct-to-consumer sales, event venue rentals, and a Mug Club membership program.

Product overview

Pelican Brewing Company is a craft beer brewery and restaurant company founded in Pacific City, Oregon in 1996. The core offering consists of year-round and seasonal craft beers including flagship Kiwanda Cream Ale, Beak Breaker Double IPA, and Tsunami Stout, distributed across Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. The portfolio extends to non-alcoholic Sparkle Hops (hop-infused sparkling water), Hard Hops (hard seltzers), and Craft Sodas (root beer, marionberry, cream soda). The company operates five brewpub/taproom locations along the Oregon Coast (Pacific City, Siletz Bay, Cannon Beach, Tillamook, Rockaway Beach) offering dine-in, takeout, and online ordering. Additional offerings include event space rentals for weddings and corporate events, Mug Club membership, and direct-to-consumer online sales. The products range from session beers (4.5% ABV) to barrel-aged barleywines (14% ABV) and Triple IPAs (10.2% ABV), with over 300 beer awards accumulated since founding.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Sparkle Hops: Zero-alcohol, zero-calorie hop-infused sparkling water in multiple flavors including Citra + Lemon, Strata + Acai, and Lime varieties.
• Hard Hops
• Pelican Craft Sodas

Products and services

• Kiwanda Cream Ale Pelican's flagship Pre-Prohibition Cream Ale, a year-round offering since 1996 with Mt. Hood hops, a smooth golden color, floral aroma, and a snappy finish; ABV 5.4%; 64+ medal winner.
• Beak Breaker Double IPA Double India Pale Ale with Mosaic, Citra, and Centennial hops delivering bright citrus-tropical aroma with ruby red grapefruit and sweet pine notes; ABV 9%, IBU 90; extended with a Tropical variant (El Dorado and Nectaron hops).
• Tsunami Export Stout

Quantifiable outcome

• 64 medals for Kiwanda cream ale alone
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Grand Fir BrewingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Grand Fir Brewing's Brewmaster Whitney Burnside on Mr. Lager's Neighborhood lager, celebrating friendship and Oregon brewing community. Features Oregon-grown Strata and Cashmere hops.
• Oregon Brewers GuildcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNon-profit organization representing Oregon's craft breweries. A portion of proceeds from State of Excitement beer goes directly to the guild to promote and protect Oregon's independent breweries, monitor legislation, and serve as a resource.
• WeddingWireminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWedding venue listing platform featuring Pelican Brewing locations for wedding bookings. Includes brochure downloads and virtual tour access.
• The KnotminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWedding planning platform listing Pelican Brewing as a recommended wedding venue with details and booking information.
• Salmon SuperHwy ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerComprehensive effort to reconnect ocean-going fish species with spawning habitat. Pelican donates a portion of proceeds from every barrel of Five Fin West Coast Pilsner to support this initiative.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Deschutes Brewery: Oregon-based craft brewery with national distribution of flagship beers (Mirror Pond, Black Butte Porter) and an integrated brewpub/taproom model. Closest direct peer given shared Oregon roots, brewpub-and-distribution hybrid model, and Pacific Northwest retail footprint overlap.
• Rogue Ales & Spirits: Independent Oregon craft brewery and distillery operating brewpub locations and regional packaged distribution across the PNW. Closely comparable in vertical integration (brewpub + production + spirits) and Oregon heritage branding.
• Full Sail Brewing Company: Oregon-based craft brewery with a pub on the Hood River waterfront and broad packaged distribution in the Pacific Northwest. Comparable as a PNW craft producer combining brewpub experiences with retail distribution.

Others

• Widmer Brothers Brewing:

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/pelicanbrewing
• Facebookfacebook.com/PelicanBrewingCompany

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Pelican Brewing Company